Opponents of a planned rail line from West Oahu to Ala Moana sought to alarm people about the project's size yesterday by erecting a fake, 8-foot supporting pillar for the envisioned mass-transit system in the middle of a downtown street.

 

  Transit Issue Taken To The Streets

 

  People from Stop Rail Now and Transit Supporters took the issue to the streets, trying to convince voters before the general election. 

 

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    The model displayed at Halekauwila and Punchbowl streets would be dwarfed by the average 35-foot pillars that would be needed every 150 feet to carry the 20-mile elevated track from Kapolei to downtown, protester Cliff Slater said.

“;It's downright ugly,”; he said.

Slater, with the group Stop Rail Now, wants voters to choose “;no”; on Tuesday's ballot measure asking whether the city should break ground on Mayor Mufi Hannemann's suggested $3.9 billion rail plan.

In their own Halloween demonstration, a group of pro-rail lawmakers and others gathered at the state Capitol to warn voters not to be tricked by what they called “;false information.”;

Critics argue the rail would be too expensive and do little to relieve traffic. Slater said building at least two high-occupancy toll lanes along the H-1 freeway—the sole link between sprawling Kapolei and downtown—would cost about $900 million and improve traffic flow by 35 percent.

But state Rep. Kirk Caldwell said benefits of alternatives, including elevated highways proposed by mayoral candidate Ann Kobayashi, are assumptions that have not been verified by the federal government, a major funding source for transportation initiatives.

The rail guarantees to cut traffic by up to 23 percent in 2030, he said, referring to a draft environmental impact statement released this week.

“;The FTA (Federal Transit Administration) says these are the figures,”; Caldwell said.

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, also speaking at the rail rally, said expanding freeways would not be a viable solution because of limits imposed by a narrow transit corridor between the mountains and the ocean.

“;You can stand on the H-1 and look to the right and look to the left and see where our boundaries are,”; he said, claiming that simply relying on more roads would lead to islandwide density and congestion. “;Inevitably, the country will not stay the country if we don't have rail transit on this side.”;

The city is expected to release a full 300-page environmental impact statement about the rail sometime this weekend, just ahead of Tuesday's election. Voters are being asked the question: “;Shall the powers, duties, and functions of the city, through its director of transportation services, include establishment of a steel wheel on steel rail transit system?”;